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Weekly Newsletter June 8th, 2007 Dear Friend,
Well, it turns out this was a big boo-boo on my part! I didn't know it at the time, but this image was copyrighted from 'The Gun Zone', and they weren't too happy when they found out I had used it here, hence, I'm tearing this thing out of here. The USCCA wholeheartedly apologizes to 'The Gun Zone', and I would imagine that it goes without saying that we and the member who emailed me the picture (Mr. A. Harris), never intended any trespass on anyone. So again, all of us here at the USCCA would like to give a big "We're Sorry" to everyone at 'The Gun Zone'. May we all remain united for the cause of preserving firearms ownerships. Moving on... Okay, while looking for this week's "video of the week", I once again found myself spending way too much time watching videos of speed-shooting competitions, and just some really cool guns being fired. After sifting through a bunch of videos that were only pretty cool, I found this gem. I'm sure you all know who Wayne LaPierre is (the executive vice president of the NRA), but you might not be so familiar with Eleanor Holmes Norton, a democratic delegate to congress representing the District of Columbia. Well, this video was filmed at the "Conservative Political Action Conference 2007", and shows some of Mrs. Norton's constituents telling her what they think about the D.C. gun laws! Check this out! Here we see a TRUE example of Ignorance- some people just don't want to hear that their agendas are NOT what all the people want! Moving on... "Trigger Control" A Pressing Concern for Instructors and Students By: Tom Perroni I have been an Instructor for about 20 years. I have been an Instructor Trainer (Someone who trains Instructors) for about 5 years and I have been a Firearms Instructor Trainer for 4 years. My father, who was a U.S. Marine Corps small arms Instructor & NRA Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, taught me anyone can call the line... it takes an Instructor to fix the students problems. He would always say, "Watch the shooter, not the target." In this way you can see what they are doing wrong and then verify it by looking at the target. I teach that there are seven fundamentals of handgun shooting, and that each one is important to get accurate hits on a target. Whether we are talking about "Target Accuracy" or "Combat Accuracy" is something I will discuss in a future article. The most important thing in a gunfight is to hit what you aim at. However there is one fundamental that causes the most problems for students and instructors: Trigger Control. The vast majority of the time, a bad shot on an intended target can be directly traced to trigger control, or a lack thereof. Here are some of the facts that I teach Firearms Instructors about Trigger Control: 1. It is the most common problem in shooters. All too often instructors will tell the student about their trigger control or lack thereof; however no one seems to be able to tell that student how to fix the problem. I will attempt to give you a few tools to fix this problem in your students or yourself. Let's begin with the trigger finger's placement vis-Ã -vis the trigger. At Perroni's Tactical Training Academy we teach students who are using a semi-auto pistol that the trigger should cross the finger approximately halfway between the tip of the finger and the first joint, over the swirl of the fingerprint. Finger Placement The finger is placed so that the trigger is halfway between the tip of the finger and the first joint. "The trigger is squeezed or pressed straight to the rear in a smooth continuous manner without disturbing sight alignment." You should not be able to predict the instant the gun will fire. Each shot should come as a surprise. Note the trigger finger continually maintains contact with the trigger.
All three parts are important to proper trigger control. 1. Slack. The shooter must first take up the slack at the beginning of the trigger movement by applying slight pressure to the trigger. The trigger will move slightly to the rear until the internal parts of the trigger mechanism come into full contact with each other, and the "softness" in the tip of the finger is eliminated. 2. Squeeze / Press. The trigger is then in the squeeze / press portion of its movement, which is when the internal parts of the weapon are being disengaged from each other to allow the hammer to fall. The pressure should be a smooth, constant, and even pressure, applied straight to the rear so that the sights are not misaligned at the instant the hammer falls. Once the hammer begins to fall, the follow through portion of trigger control begins. 3. Follow Through. Follow through is the continued steady pressure applied to the trigger until the trigger reaches its most rearward point of travel. If the shooter does not continue to apply the constant, even pressure during follow through, it is possible that the impact of the round could move on the target, thus spoiling an otherwise good shot. Trigger Release. Once the shot has broken and the trigger is fully to the rear it must be released forward for follow up shots. The most failsafe method is to maintain contact with the trigger and let it move fully forward at the same speed with which you pressed it. The marksman's trick of letting the trigger return only far enough to reset the sear or "hear the click" This is most evident in Glocks! When shooting fast with a loss of fine motor dexterity the tendency is to not let the trigger forward enough. The result is at best a momentary pause in the firing and at worst a perception that the gun has malfunctioned somehow. We call it "double clutching" the trigger. There is one Federal Law Enforcement agency so consumed by trigger press that is trains new agents to acquire finger placement on the trigger first then acquire a grip on the handgun. Dry fire practice is the key to achieve proper trigger press and will not damage a modern handgun. However you must press the trigger to the rear without disrupting sight picture and sight alignment. Point of aim is point of impact. Which means where ever the front sight is when the bullet leaves the barrel is where it will impact on the target. There is also one other Federal Law Enforcement Agency that has it's agents repeat front sight, front sight, front sight, front sight until the trigger breaks. This allows them to focus on the front sight to get that surprise break "while using proper trigger control." Believe it or not there are more things to talk about when it comes to trigger control but we only have so much room for the article. Want to know more? Come to class, and we'll talk..... Tom Perroni is the owner, President and Chief Instructor of Perroni's Tactical Training Academy. Pulling on a five-year law enforcement operational background, Tom has spent the last fifteen years delivering training to government, military, law enforcement and private security companies. Tom is also the lead contract instructor trainer for the Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice Services, responsible for vetting private security trainers approved by DCJS. Tom is also a Contract Instructor for Blackwater Traing Ceneter. Tom appreciates feedback and can be reached through the Contact page on his company website at http://www.perronitactical.com. Share it with them!! - CLICK BELOW! Please click on the envelope below and share it with your friends and family!
Gun and Gear Review Here we go! My favorite part of every "Tip of the Week". This is where we get to look at some neat and interesting guns and gear. This week's gear review doesn't pertain much to carrying a concealed weapon, but beginning next week, this section is going to get a lot more juicy! You see, I've contacted several of the major manufacturers of pocket-sized LEDs, and asked them (if they were interested) to provide me with the flashlight that they felt was best suited for the armed citizen. I told them that it had to be small enough to be convenient, and that it would be thoroughly tested. It should be interesting! Anyway, back to this week's review. Okay, in a nut shell, I found this guy's website quite a while back, and thought that it was a very peculiar product. I thought it was a cool idea, so I emailed his asking if he'd be interested in letting me do a review of them, and he was kind enough to oblige. His name is Victor Aguilar, and his site is www.sniperflashcards.com.
So what are they!? They are flash cards (yep, like the kind that we are all used to drilling our kid's math skills on), only instead of drilling your math skills, these things drill your knowledge of Holdover and Windage, as they pertain to using a rifle fitted with a Mil-dot scope. (Holdover is measured in mills, or the little dots on a mill-dot scope, while Windage is measured in MOA, or "Minute of Angle", which is about 1 sixtieth of one degree). Let me just interrupt the gear review by saying this: Whoa! I had no idea that sniping was such a science! When I pictured them, I thought they were to help train your mind to quickly identify targets and range- both skills that could be a benefit to an armed citizen! But like I said, it's a little more technical then that ...You've been warned! Now maybe you're a pro-long range rifle shooter with Mil-dot scopes, but I for one, am not. So pardon my lack of knowledge on the subject, but much of this was new to me.
1) If a four-door sedan measures four mills from the bottom of the door to the roof, and there is a ten mph crosswind, how much holdover and windage is required to hit a target at that location? You see what I mean? I quickly gathered that these cards MEAN BUSINESS. Victor Aguilar definitely knows what he's doing- he even train snipers from the department of defense! I think that these cards could easily overwhelm the average deer hunter though (it took me a couple solid weeks before I began to even feel comfortable making guesses as to where to aim)- it would be like someone setting out to learn how to change the oil in the car, but given information on how to hone out their cylinders. With that said though, if you're in to rifle shooting, and want to lean more, you can certainly find out a lot more about these things at Victor's website: www.sniperflashcards.com In the end, I'd definitely say that these cards do their job well, but you sure do have to think hard!
Every Deluxe Member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With tens of thousands posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource! What to expect in traffic stop while carrying I've had permit for several months but never had encounter with a LEO. Would like to know about others experience... Cocked and locked? I carry a Kimber Ultra CDP 11. Who out there carries something similar cocked and locked?? I have at times but I'm not as comfortable doing it as I'd like to be.... Mounted gun lights - Yes or No? I've read in several gun magazines about the importance of a mounted light on your home gun. I had an experience a while back that convinced me that mounted lights are not a good idea.... Proper Gun for the Arthritic Hand As a CCW trainer I am seeing more and more older students in class (age 70+) that have arthritis issues in their wrists and hands. Do any of you with arthritis have suggestions as to a hand gun that has worked well for you? TRUST ME Guys! Just ask any member and they will tell you- The USCCA online forum is one of the most valuable resources we have to offer! If you're not a USCCA member yet- sign up! Click Here for Membership Information!
Quote of the Week Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they'll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week...
Closing Thoughts Member Feedback: Some of the best ideas, tips and thoughts come from other USCCA members just like you! So if you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Click here to go to our contact form. Well everyone, that's it for this week. Wasn't that article on Trigger Control helpful? I have definitely found dry-fire practice to be VERY helpful- just remember to unload your pistol first!! Until next time, Tim Schmidt Founder - U.S. Concealed Carry http://www.usconcealedcarry.com
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